Corporate Culture
Apr 4th, 2007 by JBIV
Corporate culture is discussed a lot in the startup sphere where entrepreneurs embark on the journey to create a better place to work, free from legacy corporate bureaucracy and inefficiencies. In 1999 this discussion often included beanbags, ping pong tables, and catering. Today it is work life balance, flat corporate structures, and remote working environments.
At the core, corporate culture is nothing more than the environment employees live in day to day. Are your employees racing to work to get started on “their” project? Are people happy, contributing outside their job description, finding ways to build the culture themselves?
How does a healthy culture start? Conventional wisdom is that it starts from the top, but how? Is it messaging? (the always comical corporate mission statement) Is it enthusiasm about the product or service being provided? (A derivative of both having something that is capable of being deemed exciting and hiring people who agree.) Other variables that seem to make sense; clear goals, capable employees, management that communicates clearly, positive feedback from the market, fair pay, fairness.
Here’s a top down approach I would not recommend:
Yikes; what does corporate culture mean to you?
I wonder why companies spend money creating sad, fake enthusiasm??? That is the most contrived video you could create. Do they really believe people are going to buy that?
I work at a large manufacturing company, we spend very little time worrying about the culture. Employees all share in the ownership of the company and that provides all the incentive I need to stay focused.
Sandra,
Thanks for the comment. That’s a great point regarding employee ownership. Feeling a part of the whole can have such a dramatic effect on the perspective one has of their role and importance.
Do you receive short term benefits associated with your ownership (ie. quarterly bonuses, control of schedule) or are benefits allocated annually?
John
I hate you for posting that video. It was so horrible and painful to watch, but I couldn’t tear myself away.
Interesting video…. folks reading this should be aware this sort of thing is more typical than not at major corps.
Senior execs call it “rallying the troops”… it’s a feel good thing that lasts about as long as the song itself. The minute these folks are at the bar after the formal meeting they are back to bitching what REALLY bugs them on the DAY TO DAY experiences back in the REAL culture “on the job” or in the workplace….
Nice blog by the way…. you are giving me some ideas for my News and Satire site… For your readers… sarcasm is welcome… we thrive on it
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OK, that nearly ruined a good song for me forever.
That said, I am dovoting the rest of my working career to improving corporate culture, with a specialty in helping merging companies succeed. With up to 70% of mergers failing to meet expectations, cultural due-diligence and cultural integration is essential.
The field of study is much further along and more sophisticated than the silly motivational attempt showcased here. For anyone interested in how to turn culture into a competitive advantage (even without shared ownership), I invite you to visit our website and read some case studies. http://www.leadershipbeyondlimits.com